Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Horticulture (program brochure)

Our global research network works with and promotes local leadership to advance horticulture and social innovations, empowering small-scale producers to earn more income while better nourishing their communities.

Since 2009

Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Horticulture has supported collaborations involving more than 200 organizations and universities on projects for smallholder farmers around the world. Since it’s inception in 2009, the Horticulture Innovation Lab has invested $55 million in agricultural research, training more than 38,000 individuals in 30 countries, including over 14,000 farmers who improved their farming practices, and ultimately, enhanced their livelihoods and the resilience of their community. 

All research projects span the horticultural value chain, with the majority led by locally-based organizations within focus-regions in Africa, Asia or Central America, aligning with the U.S. government’s Feed the Future global hunger and food security initiative.

Our priorities include:

• Local leadership

• Increase access and consumption of nutritious foods 

• Equity and inclusion in research, including women, youth, and other marginalized groups

• Holistic systems work across regional value chains

• Support fruit and vegetable food systems with potential to improve livelihoods

• Emphasis on engagement with Minority Serving Institutions 

Explore Horticulture Innovation Lab projects.

Regional hubs connecting four continents across the globe: locally led, globally supported

The Horticulture Innovation Lab has four Regional Hubs spread across three continents, bringing together key stakeholders for horticultural development activities in the focus-regions of East and West Africa, Central America and South Asia.

The four Regional Hub management teams are based at universities and educational institutions, including International Centre for Evaluation and Development in Nairobi; University of Ghana in Accra; the Panamerican Agricultural School, Zamorano, in Tegucigalpa; and FORWARD Nepal in Kathmandu. 

Regional Hubs conduct research, build networks, and serve as contacts for local organizations and USAID Missions, responsible for in-country management of projects and Principal Investigator (PI) support.

A sustainable future: Engaging graduate students in development

The Horticulture Innovation Lab Trellis Fellowship Fund connects U.S.-based graduate students with in-country organizations to conduct collaborative research.

Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) leads the implementation of the Trellis Fellowship program, annually selecting graduate students from 1890 Land Grant Universities in the U.S. These students contribute approximately 100 hours a year to research activities both remotely, and on-the-ground in-country, spending two-weeks time in research locations. 

Through this program, new connections and collaborative partnerships are formed between in-country graduate students, local stakeholders, and community members. 

About the Program

The Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Horticulture — also known as the Horticulture Innovation Lab — is managed by a team at the University of California, Davis, in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, under the Department of Plant Sciences.

Funding for the Horticulture Innovation Lab is provided by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), as part of the Feed the Future global hunger and food security initiative.

Dr. Erin J. McGuire is the director of the Horticulture Innovation Lab.

Global network

The Horticulture Innovation Lab Consortium consists of global leaders in horticulture, agronomics, agri-sociology, agribusiness and agri-policy. Consortium partners include Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, World Vegetable Center, Texas A&M Borlaug Institute, and Michigan State University. 

Consortium Specialists include Dr. Christine Stewart at the Institute of Global Nutrition at UC Davis (Nutrition and Food Safety), Hilary Proctor at Making Cents International (Youth Opportunities), and Dr. Janelle Larson at Penn State University (Gender Equality, Equity, and Participation).

Consortium Scaling Partners include Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture and International Fertilizer Development Center.

 

About the brochure itself: This six-panel brochure is designed to fold down to 8.5 x 11 inches. Unfolded, it is 25.5 x 11 inches and so is not intended to be replicated on office printers. Provided here are two PDF versions, one for web view, and another for print. Please let us know if you have any questions.